Automatic tensioning device for traveling music-sheets.



L. B. DOM AN. AUTOMATIC TENSIONING DEVICE FOR TRAVELING MUSIC SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1908.

1,097,852. Patented May 26, 191% Tram/Ex UNITED STATES PATE or rion.

LEWIS B. DOMAN, 0F ELIBRIDGE, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO AMPHION PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC TENSIONING DEVICE FOR TRAVELING MUSIC-SHEETS.

App1ication filed November 28, 1908.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIS l3. DOMAN, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Tensioning Devices for Traveling Music-Sheets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in automatic tensioning devices for music sheets for self-playing musical instruments in which a perforated music sheet is drawn across a suitable tracker bar by means of winding and rewinding rollers located at opposite sides of thetracker bar, reference being had to my pending application #329,692, filed Aug. 8, 1906.

My object is toprovide a simple automatic means for maintaining a uniform tension upon the music sheet during the playing of a musical selection by applying a uniform yet comparatively light friction pressure upon a suitable brake wheel which is connected to the roller fromwvhich the sheet is being unwound thereby preventing 'unsteady action .or looseness of the sheet while being drawn across the tracker bar by the winding roller.

Another object is to cause the tensioning device to automatically release itself immediately upon the beginning of the return or rewinding of the music sheet.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is an elevation of one end of a musicbox showing the adjacent ends of the winding and rewinding rollers for the music sheet together with my improved tensioning device and means for driving said rollers. Fig. 2 is an end face view of the music box showingthe tensioning device and portions of the roller driving mechanism thereon. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the tensioning device and guide therefor. Fig. 4: is a transverse sectional view throughthe guide for the oscillatory portion of the tensioningdevice.

The perforated music sheet as A is drawn across the face of a suitable tracker bar B in the direction indicated by arrow -X. by means of a winding roller C in playing a musical selection and is rewound from the roller C in the reverse direction by roller -D-. These rollers are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Serial No. 164.987.

located at opposite sides of the tracker bar B at the rear of thetracker face so as to draw the music sheet smoothly and tightly across such tracker face. The winding roller -0 e-on the end of a driving shaft E- which is movable vertically to throw the pinion into and out of mesh with the gear '0.

Any suitable means may be employed for operating the shaft E'- and for this purthe latter is operated in the manner shown.

in my pending application No. 829,692, filed August 8, 1906, and, therefore, unnecessary to herein illustrate or describe, except to state that when the driving shaft -E is thrown out of connection with the roller G it is thrown into connection with the rewinding roller D. For this purpose, the shaft is providedwith a friction wheel -lwhich engages the periphery of an idler --2, the latter being forced into contact with a brake wheel 3 as best seen in Fig. 2 when the driving gear is released from engagement with the rollers G- in the manner described. The relative sizes of the friction gears 1, 2 and -3 are such as. to rewind the music sheet with greater speed than that with which it is wound-on the winding roller -C. p

The idler 2-- is mounted upon a rock arm 4 which is pivoted at 5- and is limited in its downward movement by a stop pin 6 so that when the shaft E is depressed for throwing the gear c into engagement with the gear -0- of the roller C for driving the music sheet and playing a musical selection, the friction disk or wheel 1 is thrown out of engagement with the idler 2 which in turn drops by gravity out of engagement with the friction disk -8 and is limited in its downward movement by the stop pin -6- thereby leaving both of the friction disks -1 and 8 out of engagement with the idler. During this action the roller D- and friction disk 8 are rotated in the direction indicated by arrow Y- by means of the music sheet which is drawn forwardly is, in this instance, provided wlth a gear (2 and is driven by a pinion by the roller -C. This friction roller 3 is locked to rotate with roller D- from which the music sheet is being unwound and is utilized as a part of the device for tensioning the music sheet or preventing excessive unwinding thereof from the roller -D- by the momentum of the latter in the playing of a musical selection. Aside from the brake wheel 3, the tensioning device for the music sheet consists essentially of a brake shoe 8 which is secured to the lower end of an oscillatory arm 9, the latter being loosely pivoted at its upper end upon a pin -10 and having its intervening portion weighted by a suitable weight -11.

The pivotal support 10- for the brake shoe is preferably located vertically over the axis of the friction disk 3, so as to cause the weighted shoe 8- to normally gravitate toward a vertical line drawn between the axis of the disk 3 and pivotal pin --10- and into engagement with the periphery of said disk so that when the disk is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow -'Y- during the playing of a musical selection, the frictional engagement of the shoe 8- with the periphery thereof will cause said shoe to be carried forwardly and upwardly and into frictional contact with the periphery of the disk, the forward movement of the brake shoe being limited to a vertical position directly over the axis of the disk 8 by a limiting stop 13 forming one end of a guide slot 1 l in which the oscillatory arm 9- is movable. I

The distance between the cont-act face of the shoe -8- and bearing of the arm -9 upon the pin 10 is slightly greater than the distance between the upper face of the disk 3 and pivot 10 so that when the shoe 8- rides upon the face of the disk, it will exert a retarding pressure thereon equal to the combined gravity of the weight 11 and shoe 8-, the weight '11 being previously determined to give the desired tension to the music sheet.

When the action of the music sheet is reversed as in rewinding it from the roller G upon the roller D, the direction of rotation of the friction disk -3- is similarly reversed thereby throwing the brake shoe 8 out of operative position as shown by full lines in Fig. 2 leaving the entire rewinding mechanism free to rewind the sheet with accelerated speed.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In combination with sheet winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a driving shaft having a driving member for the winding roller, means including a brake wheel for transmitting motion from said driving member to the rewinding roller, a weighted brake shoe pivotally and slidably supported substantially vertically above the axis of the brake wheel and in its braking position resting upon the upper side of the periphery of the same, means for limiting the movement of the brake shoe when forced to its braking position by contact with the brake wheel, and means for moving the shaft transversely of its axis to force the driving members thereon to and from their driving positions.

2. In combination with sheet winding and rowinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a brake wheel connected to and rotating with the rewinding roller, a brake shoe pivotally and slidably supported substantially vertically above the axis of the brake wheel and in its braking position resting against the upper side of the periphery of the same whereby when the rewinding roller is rotated in one direction, the brake shoe will be forced toits braking position and when rotated in the opposite direction will be forced from its braking position, and means for limiting the movement of the brake shoe toward its braking position.

3. In combination with sheet winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a brake wheel operatively connected to the rewinding roller, a weighted brake shoe pivotally and slidably supported substantially vertically above the axis of the brake wheel and in its braking position against the upper side of the periphery of the brake wheel and having limited movement radially of said brake wheel.

l. In combination with sheet winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a brake wheel operatively connected to the rewinding roller to rotate therewith, a weighted brake shoe pivotally and slidably supported substantially above the Y axis of the brake wheel and in its braking position resting against the upper periphery of the brake wheel, and means for limiting the rocking movement of the brake shoe about the axis of its pivot to braking positlon.

5. In combination with sheet winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a brake wheel operatively connected to the rewinding roller to rotate therewith, a weighted brake shoe pivotally and slidably supported substantially vertically above the axis of the brake wheel and in its braking position resting against the periphery of the brake wheel, and a stop for limiting the rocking movement of the brake shoe about the axis of its pivot by the brake wheel, said brake shoe having a limited movement transversely of the axis of its pivot to braking position.

6. In combination with the winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, driving means movable into and out of operative connection with the winding roller, a brake wheel carried by the reits iio

its

winding roller, a swinging brake shoe thrown into its braking position by the brake wheel when the driving means is connected to the winding roller during which the brake wheel is rotated in one direction, and means actuated by the driving means for reversing the direction of rotation of the brake wheel when said driving means is thrown out of operative connection with the winding roller whereupon said brake wheel operates to throw the brake shoe away from its braking position.

7. In combination with the winding and rewinding rollers of a self-playing musical instrument, a brake wheel carried by the rewinding roller, a weighted swinging brakeshoe coacting with the wheel and movable transversely of its swinging axis, an idler and movable support therefor for moving said idler into and out of engagement with the brake wheel, a. rotary driving shaft movable radially into and out of operative connection with the winding roller, and a friction wheel on the driving shaft engaging and pressing the idler into engagement with the brake wheel when the driving shaft is out of engagement with the winding roller. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of November 1908.

LEWIS B. DOMAN.

Witnesses:

W. E. JOHNSON, FRED G. CARPENTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

